|
|
Rumors are flying that Google is about to take on Facebook with a new product named “Google Me”. I’m just arrogant enough to offer them some advice on how they can use the tools at their disposal to beat Facebook at their own game. Facebook has a polished and attractive user interface (UI). Their vulnerability lies in that they are a closed ecosystem and their business model relies on exploiting your information for their advertisers. The closed ecosystem means it only reveals media posted on their site by their users. Their business model means your privacy is their poverty.
Google Me can build on some pretty nice services Google already provides. Google is first in web search. Google Profile allows us to link to the applications we already use (even if they are not Google’s so it is an open ecosystem). Google Reader is the most popular aggregator of RSS feeds. Here is how I would take the Reader back end and tie it in to Profile, Search, and my Google Contacts to make Google Me Googlicious.
There is only one reason I go to Facebook. I have to if I want to see what media my friends regularly share there. But if they want to share a YouTube video or Picasa Album they have to re-post that content or link to it on Facebook.
What if I could have all of their content fed to me? The content could be available in Facebook-like categories: All (News Feed); Mini-posts (Tweets, Facebook posts, etc.); Posts (Blogs, Buzz, etc.); Albums – with filters for Images, Videos, All (Picasa, Flickr, Facebook, etc.), Music (last.fm, Pandora, etc.), Podcasts|Vodcasts, Movies (IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes), and Location (Latitude, Gowalla, FourSquare, Yelp).
Continue reading Google Me – My Way
At Last
Yesterday, Amazon released the app that was the last major step to my saying I was as happy with my Droid Incredible as I was with my iPhone. Once again I can read everything from Tom Cocoran to the NIV Bible from my phone. I’m not big on reading physical books any more. When I do get the rare moment of opportunity to read, I’m not where the book is. My phone is always with me and, now, so is my reading material. I’ve already scaled up the font for my old eyes. Plus, now I can easily bookmark passages I want to share with my church home study group.
These young women are going to give you a run for your jobs!
Can Meena Build An Indian Google? is a great article posted on TechCrunch. Roshni helps young girls from the slums in India realize their dreams of an education in technology despite obstacles most of us cannot even imagine if we wanted to. Some of you may remember that in my book I spoke about how the Old Testament Jubilee not only set slaves free but returned land to the original equal distribution across the tribes of Israel. That was because in an agrarian culture land was the source of both monetary wealth and social standing. Today education is the great equalizer and there continues to be injustice worldwide in access to the hallowed halls of academia. I intend to learn more about the Roshni Academy, but I salute their service in the Judea-Christian principle of balancing rewards and opportunity. Go to TechCrunch for the full story. It will inspire you.
I have a mixed marriage. My wife has an Apple iPad, but I replaced my Apple iPhone with a Droid Incredible. Not because I didn’t love my iPhone, but because I wanted to find out what it would be like to actually have voice communication with a phone. That necessitated my leaving AT&T. Don’t get me wrong. AT&T treated me wonderfully and they have great products. Unfortunately, I also wanted a network that let me talk on the phone in the places I frequent. When the AT&T network allows me to talk on the phone along my usual routes, I will happily consider returning to AT&T.
So, life without an iPhone in my new Verizon world: Android can very happily automatically download audio podcast updates using Listen. Unlike the iPhone, Android phone storage is easily accessed to just drag and drop music from the computer. Unfortunately, the Android Music, DoubleTwist, and HTC Music apps on my phone only recognize album art embedded in the music’s tags. But I also want playlists that synchronize between the phone, the iPad, and the computer and I want my video podcasts on that awesome Incredible display.
Given the iPad in the house, we’re going to continue to use iTunes. Frankly, I like the way it looks when we’re playing music on the HTPC, too. Unfortunately, Jobs and Co. are at war with the Google Nation. iTunes will not willingly sync with a Google Android phone. There are at least a couple of programs that seek to bridge the gap. For those who like to cut to the chase, I’ll start with where I ended up. For the cynics, later I’ll explain why I took this approach.
For audio podcasts, I use Listen on my phone and no desktop client. If I wish to hear my audio podcasts on my computer I go to my ‘Listen Subscriptions’ folder in Google Reader on the web.
For video podcasts, I copy my podcasts from my iTunes ‘podcasts’ folder on the computer to the ‘Podcasts’ folder on my phone’s microSD card. (If you don’t have that directory then make it.) I can then watch them using my Photos mobile app. Yes, it is called “Photos” but it plays videos, too.
For music, I use MediaMonkey and listen using either my Music or DoubleTwist mobile app. For playlists, I use iTunes Export to include my iTunes playlists in MediaMonkey. (Alternately, iTunes Export can also export your iTunes playlists straight to the ‘Playlists’ folder on your phone.) This means I have the same playlists in iTunes as I have in MediaMonkey as on my phone.
As I showed in a recent post, I have arranged my Listen, Music, and Photos apps on the same page. Don’t tell Apple, but I think of it as my iPod page.
Continue reading Sync, Sank, Sunk – a Droid Incredible Journey
The main thing that stands out in moving from iPhone to Android is how much more work it is to get an Android phone to do what I consider to be all the basic smartphone functions. Now, calling favorites is easy and intuitive. Set up your favorites in the pre-installed widget and give them their own home page. Touch their face and talk to them. 10 out of 10. I’m no longer on Verizon so chances are I can actually make the call. However, Verizon did drop my Father’s Day call from my son as I drove through the western mountains of Virginia.
The big four of smartphone uses are the four C’s, Calendar, Contacts, Chats, and Calls. If you are a Gmail user, just enter your Gmail account info when setting up the phone and you can use all the Android apps. However, HTC includes some nice apps that require a second setup using either Microsoft Exchange or pop/IMAP settings. That’s fine for non-Google accounts but redundant for Google accounts. I did find this more straightforward than either setting up syncing through iTunes or MS Exchange on the iPhone.
But it is not all sweetness and light once we leave the land of meat and potatoes and head to the side dishes of smartphone life. The iPod on the iPhone is slick. The only gig on the iPhone is that one has to manually update podcasts or hook up to a computer and sync with iTunes, which automatically updates podcasts. However, the interface for music and podcasts is beautiful. It matters not whether we are listening to albums, artists, genres, audio podcasts or video podcasts. It is beautiful, intuitive, and all in one place.
An Android phone breaks the iPod function out into multiple applications. There is an Android Music app. It is beautiful and also allows playing by artist, album, playlist, song, genre, or composer. One can easily make or add to a playlist. Hold your finger down on an album or song and follow the menu for adding to a playlist. You can also copy m3u format playlists from your computer. Getting music onto the phone is as easy as copying it to an external thumb drive. HTC adds an attractive widget for this app.
There is an audio podcast app, Listen. Listen bests the iPhone in one area only. It updates podcasts over the air automatically. No need to manually pick new episodes or hook up to a computer. The ability to find a podcast with Listen’s search function is horrible, however. I found myself shopping for podcasts in the iTunes store and then copying the URL of the podcast and then typing it into Listen using their ‘Add Subscription’ function. Awkward and shameful from a company that is primarily known for their ability to perform a search.
Both viewing photos and videos are done using the Photos app. There is no way to subscribe to a video podcast of which I am aware. There is no way to bookmark where one leaves off viewing a video. Like the new iPhone one can do basic picture edits, but there is no iMovie equivalent for videos.
Continue reading Droid Incredible Replaces iPhone 3GS
One popular option for those who have Windows XP without the Windows Media Center has been GB-PVR. It was a nice program once one got past setting up the electronic program guide (EPG). That little step made it unlikely that a non-techie would find it attractive to use.
For reasons sited in their forum, GB-PVR is dead. Long live N-PVR. For those who like to customize and code plug-ins or simply have access to cool plug-ins, the forum promises that plug-ins will be given freedom to control just about everything. For those who hate setting up an EPG, you can watch TV now without one.
Watch this blog for a potential test drive in the near future.
This isn’t everything important that happened this week, but I wanted to highlight some of the stories I found interesting. Be sure to check the links to the full stories in which we share an interest.
Android
Now that I’m between smartphones, I’m really paying attention to everything going on in the Android space like never before. On June 9th, TV Guide added to their tastiness by producing an app for Android phones that will provide us with listings and entertainment news [MarketWatch]. I like the idea of having my listings on an Android phone. I had that on my iPhone and used it often as a quick reference. Now, if they could just tie in the DVR function from their web app they’d really be on to something big.
 In a timely move FIFA has also released a World Cup app. It’s not live video, but it will let Android users keep up with World Cup news [Phandroid]. Boy does that having me chomping at the bit for a new phone.
EVO 4G owners have live World Cup coverage through Sprint and now Verizon has announced that they are making VCast available on their Android phones as well [Engadget]. $10 seems cheap for that. How long will it be before the only reason to go home is to sleep and let the dog out?
You might want to track these down using the app search function at the new Phandroid service or previously reported DoubleTwist. Shoot now you can just do a Google search and find apps in the results. Try “TV Guide for Android”. For me the app came up as the third search result. It is head spinning to think that not so very long ago one had to open the iTunes Store in iTunes to find an app. I’m happy to see Google following Apple in making info about their apps searchable on the web.
Oh, iPhone, iPhone wherefore art thou, my iPhone?
“I’ve run off with a scurrilous loser,
AT&T that loved to abuse you.”
Oh, iPhone, iPhone, who can replace mi amor
No Xtreme or Incredible can be found in the stores.
Ride that darn Death Star until you are sore.
Oh, iPhone, iPhone, I miss your tunes when I’m in my car,
So tempting, shiny and pretty you are,
But I’m just too weary with your carrier to spar.
Steve Jobs has completed his keynote address. It sounds like the iPhone 4 is going to be a solid competitor with the HTC EVO 4G. The video chat will require a wireless connection for now but Qik and Sprint found out that supporting this over the air was an overwhelming challenge so it is hard to gripe about that too much. The 5 MP camera is barely competitive. However 720p at 30fps is awesome. Even awesomer? iMovie right on the iPhone. One of the few things I’ve missed since leaving my iBook behind is iMovie. A great idea. My biggest disappointment was no announcement of moving to Verizon or the ability to use the iPhone as a hotspot. Sadly, it seems that Apple is no longer leading the cell phone pack. Do you agree?
AT&T Data Plan Changes
Two days before at&t raised their smart phone early termination fee (ETF), I cancelled my contract with at&t. There were just too many places where I couldn’t get service. I have since been suffering terribly from iPhone withdrawal. However, I have a sense of freedom similar to that an abused spouse must have when they finally pull away from the house with all their stuff loaded in the car. Good-bye at&t. Looks like that happened just in time. If I wanted to finally enjoy tethering on my iPhone, I would have to have given up my unlimited data plan. Previously my data was only limited by the fact that at&t’s 3G service was so hard to find. Now, there is a “reward” for finally getting tethering or just buying an iPhone, as Gizmodo put it, “AT&TJust Killed Unlimited Wireless Data (and Screwed Everybody in the Process)”. The iPhone blog noted that the $29.99 plan given to the original iPad 3G purchasers will not be available to new users. However, the unlimited plan is still good available this weekend. After answering the question, “How Much Video Can You Actually Stream With AT&T’s New Data Plans?“, Gizmodo suggests “Run, don’t walk, to get your iPad 3G before the end of the weekend.” (Joy has the wi-fi iPad and we use a mobile hotspot when we don’t have wireless access.)
Continue reading A Week for Geeks 2
|
About LSS LSS is a nuts and bolts blog. Written by a geek who loves God, this journal reports my quest for technical perfection, environmental and social justice, and venting whatever else is going through my little pea-pickin' brain at the moment.
If you poke around a little, I'm sure you can find something to tick you off, but you might just find something that helps you, too. The former I consider collateral damage and the latter is my hope.
I'm not afraid of or offended by contrary opionions so I hope you'll use the comments to encourage, challenge, and inform myself and my readers. Thanks for visiting and don't forget to subscribe before you leave.
|
